Experimentation
by Maverick1997
Summary: Laurena is an experiment long forgotten. When Captain America wakes up he is the only one who remembers her. But what has become of the young girl trapped inside the white walled facilities?
1. Chapter 1

Here is the new Chapter 1. I've modified it a bit from before with content moved from chapter 2 into this chapter to make the story flow better. Chapter two is about to be replaced as well. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far I really appreciate it. This story is now finished and I'm working on the sequel. :) It's four chapters total. Hope you all enjoy!

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Chapter 1

The white washed hallways stretched out in front of the trio of scientists. In the arms of the leading scientist was a young child, around the age of two years old. Each scientist trembled with excitement and nervous energy. The experiment would commence in a matter of days, another chance to create a super soldier. They hadn't succeeded so far, with the few other children they had brought into the facility. This was the first female though; maybe the different body make up would yield results. The other boys of varying ages were held in this facility, each with their own room and training areas.

It was important that the growing children had an area to begin their training. If there was any hope of having a super soldier the experiments had to be trained right. So far, the oldest of the boys was performing promisingly. His muscle strength had increased exponentially as the experiment progressed. The child was a long way off from being a super soldier but it was one step in the right direction.

The hallways were a labyrinth behind the antique storefront guarded by one of the ex-servicewomen. It was a well-protected facility and even if you got through the first two or three layers of security it was nigh impossible to get close to the experiments. They were concealed within the deepest bowels of the facility, with very few having access to their living quarters.

The leading scientist, the one holding the young girl, headed through the security areas and down to the new room which would belong to this experiment. It was an average sized room with stark white walls, a single bed and no windows. The lack of natural light was overcompensated by the fluorescent lights placed high up in the ceiling. There was a cupboard off to the right, already filled with clothes for the female experiment. There were clothes that could be used from this time up until she was about fifteen. By then there would be a new set of clothes filling the wardrobe.

The toddler was placed onto the large bed, wrapped up in the blankets before the scientist turned to leave. He walked out of the room without a backwards glance, leaving the young and vulnerable child alone in new and terrifying surroundings.

A woman staff member walked in some time later, to comfort and feed the toddler. She would be the carer for this experiment for the next two years, for long enough that the child would be able to fend for itself.

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*Two Years Later*

A young girl looked up at the camera, smile splitting across her face. Small white teeth stood out against the pale face. Laughter filled the room as she ran forwards, around a corner up ahead. The cameraman follows, walking with precision, long accustomed to the actions of the young child.

Laurena's laughter can be heard as the cameraman walks forwards, turning around the corner. Right in front of him is a shooting range, designed to hold only two people. Laurena picks up one of the small hand held guns and holds it out for inspection. The man behind the camera grabs it and in the recording the sound of the gun being cleared is heard. The weapon his handed back and the little girl darts forwards, loading the weapon smoothly.

The hand held is levelled up with the targets and gunshots ring out. Laurena is concentrating hard, tongue sticking out slightly from her small mouth. The gun is brought down and unloaded before being placed on the table. The four year old girl turns around and looks up at the camera, smile spreading over her face yet again.

"Did you see that, I shot the targets all in a row! I'm getting better at this, maybe I'll get good enough soon so that I can use the bow and arrows instead."

The young girl is vibrating with her eagerness to learn, to be praised.

"You're doing really well, I'm sure you'll be allowed to use the bow and arrows soon darling," says the cameraman, voice full of sadness that Laurena doesn't seem to pick up.

This praise is rewarded with an even larger grin before a small alarm sounds somewhere in the room. The smile drops slightly on Laurena's face before she is running down the halls again, back the way she had come.

The cameraman follows at a quicker pace this time. He rounds a few corners before ending up in a medical room. Laurena is perched on a medical bed, jumper on the bed beside her. The nurse is checking the young girl's pulse and measuring her heartbeat. The examination is over within seconds and Laurena lies down on the bed without any prompting. Another nurse enters from a room off to the side with a small tray. Inside laid six needles, all identical to one another. There is a blue liquid in each one, looking thick and sluggish. The new nurse heads around to the other side of the bed. Each nurse picks up one of the needles and injects it into the arm closest to them. This is repeated until the six needles are used.

Laurena doesn't make a sound, doesn't flinch as the needles press through her skin. Her face scrunches up for a few seconds but smooths out again almost immediately. The liquid must burn as it is injected into her muscles but Laurena doesn't fight it. When the needles have been used up Laurena lies on the bed for a few seconds before pushing into a sitting position. She is no longer smiling.

The four year old looks over at the nurse, holding out her right arm. The nurse walks over and takes some blood from the little girl. Laurena just sits quietly, watching as her blood is drawn into a vial.

When the nurse walks away the pre-school aged child gives the camera a weak smile before looking off into space. Laurena's young voice fills the room, a soft and sad song floating from her lips. The child has been listening to the radio again and the tune flowing from her is heartbreaking to hear. She sings about being lonely and unable to escape her predicament. The song finishes on a sad note and the child offers the camera another smile. This is the last image of her captured on that day.

*1 Year Later*

Laurena laughs and twirls around. The weapon in her hand looks deadly as she levels it at the cut out on the range. She has a rifle in her arms, longer than her short arms but still lethal. The five year old girls shoots straight and true taking out the target. She reloads and sets up the clay targets. She shoots every single one, hits them dead on. She's a good shot, each of the scientists and medical staff knows it.

The rifle is unloaded, placed on the weapons table before Laurena whirls and gives the camera a smile. She's slightly taller now and her brown hair has lengthened so that it brushes past her shoulders. Her blue eyes seem brighter than they've ever been, piercing straight into the camera. When one of the scientists on exchange see the footage they have a moment of regret, the child is very photogenic and could have had a career on the big screen. The moment passes and Laurena is once again regarded as an experiment.

What you can't see from the camera is how much stronger Laurena has become. She is still small and skinny but she is powerful, more powerful than any five year old has the right to be. The scientists are happy; they know that this experiment is going well. The young girl has had the same six injections every day since she entered the facility and it is definitely paying off.

They, the scientists don't watch Laurena closely, only worrying if her health declines or something goes wrong in the training room. The pain the young girl is in isn't seen by anyone, not even the cameraman who can be often found in the five year old's quarters.

All of the experiments are monitored this way; each assigned a camera and camera man. They are observed during all of their waking moments but when the lights are turned off to allow sleep the cameras are turned off and the experiment's quarters become startling empty.

The rooms are silent, almost as if the whole complex is abandoned. Laurena lies alone on her bed, small body dwarfed by the rather large bed. She lies in the middle, eyes focused on the ceiling far above her. Each part of her body aches, her arms more than anything else. This pain has been constant ever since she can remember. It is different from the searing pain when the serum is injected into her muscles, different from a bullet cutting through flesh. It is hard for her to describe, a bone deep ache which never leaves her alone.

When the lights turn back on for the morning Laurena is already awake, just like all the other experiments in the facility. The pain in their bodies doesn't make for easy sleeping and many of them find that with each successive day they need sleep less and less. They think it's maybe a natural thing or maybe something to do with the serum; they can't be sure because they don't know anyone normal. None of them remember anything but this facility full of white.

Laurena dresses quickly before leaving her room. In the small hallway between the range and her room is a ventilation shaft. The scientists don't know she goes in there from time to time but the cameraman does. It is a secret just between them. No one else knows.

None of the other experiments leave their quarters. They are less adventurous, or more afraid of what could happen to them if they break the rules. There are guards at the complex, they've all seen them. They carry large guns and point them menacingly at anything that looks vaguely like a threat. Laurena doesn't like those men so she avoids them whenever possible.

Reaching the vent the young girl vaults up and pushes the grill to the side, sliding into the vents. She slithers along on her stomach towards the entrance to the complex. She's just following her usual route around the place. She always starts at the entrance and then finds somewhere interesting to listen in on conversations.

Today though, something interesting is happening below, right in the entranceway. There are a lot of the guards around, way more than usual. Laurena lies down, stays still as she waits for something to happen. It isn't long before a group of men are entering through, being patted down by the guards before walking through a door directly below Laurena.

The five year old waits, trying to figure out whether to follow the men or stay and see who else shows up. Two more people appear below Laurena just as she was about to move off. She smiles and follows their path through the vents. There is a lady, who speaks kind of weirdly. There is a man beside her, there is a smile on his face but it isn't like the usual smiles. He is thinner, thinner and smaller than anyone in the complex. Laurena figures he must be young like her and the other experiments.

The two enter one of the experimental rooms. Laurena has seen some of the other experiments in this room but she's never been taken there. There was a young boy once; he had come in here as well. He hadn't left walking though and Laurena has always pushed that specific memory aside. The young girl swings herself down out of the vents and onto a high platform above the room. She is shrouded in shadows, sitting perched above the action below. Young eyes are opened wide as the little girl watches the events below. The scream of agony sends the five year old into shivers but she does not move, sits there silently and watches as the scientists run backwards and forwards.

The steel casing swings forwards and Laurena watches warily, hoping this experiment has worked. The man from before steps out, now though he isn't so skinny. He is muscular, more muscular than the scientists that surrounded him. A face splitting grin appears on Laurena's face and it's all she can do not to laugh loudly. She sits quietly, keeping the happiness to herself. A man enters the room and she watches him out of the corner of her eye. The man is dark haired and holding a slim piece of metal in his hand. Laurena looks away from him, turning her attention back to the other experiment.

Suddenly an explosion rocks the platform the five year old is on. Laurena leaps upwards just as the platforms cracks in half. She swings herself up and into the vents and begins to crawl away from the fire that is struggling to expand into the vents. Laurena slithers forwards, pulling herself along with strong, thin arms. The experiment passes underneath her, running towards the door she had seen him enter through. Laurena wishes him good luck, lips moving in a whisper.

The five year old moves forwards quickly, rushing against the clock to get to her room. The facility is about to go into lockdown and she knows it. The scientists are going to be checking on her as soon as possible and she needs to be back. Laurena can't be caught exploring the facility; there is no knowing what would happen to her if the scientists found out.

The young girl makes it back just in time. Throwing herself into the range she picks up a weapon and starts shooting at the targets. The scientists come sprinting into the room, feet pounding against the concrete. They rush in, a babble of voices behind Laurena. She lets out a sigh of relief and slowly puts away the handheld gun she had been shooting with.

Hands grab her underneath her shoulders and she is hefted into the air before being placed on the hip of one of the female scientists. The scientists move off in a group of swirling lab coats and babbling voices. The talking never stops but Laurena doesn't try to listen, content to just be carried to wherever they wish to take her. It is difficult being alone for so long, occasionally it is nice to have some company even if the people don't really care about you. Laurena is carried to another room. This place is in the very heart of the facility, not far away from her quarters. There are other experiments here, the other young boys although they are slightly older than her. There is no one younger than five years old now, everyone is growing up. It is odd to think that they are all getting older especially when they never see anything change in the facility. The scientists are always the same, their rooms never changing. Nothing ever changes and so there is nothing for them to base their change on. The adults barely change, although sometimes their hair colour changes.

Laurena isn't allowed to talk to the others here, she needs to sit alone and be very, very quiet. This is how it works when you meet the other experiments. You don't talk and don't move. The scientists yell if you start talking. They are too busy discussing results to worry about the experiments. They look at each other from across the room. Curious glances are rarely intercepted but each of the children knows that they are being watched. Laurena knows the boy to her right is looking at her. His hair is rather long, not quite as long as hers but it is odd to see. The other boys have their hair cut short, almost so that you can see the skin on their heads.

The boy directly across from the young girl gives Laurena a wink. He is the oldest out of everyone there. He is about thirteen maybe fourteen. It is hard to tell considering he doesn't have any of the usual scrapes or bruises that are so common with the children outside the facility. Laurena doesn't know about age, about time. There are no clocks for her to see. All she knows is that she does things and can't go back and change them.

Sometimes she overhears the scientists or the doctors saying something about a clock or a type of day. It doesn't mean anything to her though, especially considering she has nothing to base her knowledge on. Life in the facility is a curious sort of thing, something which is hardly explainable.

Laurena wishes, not for the first time, that she would be able to see somewhere different. Maybe she could go out the door that the other experiment walked out of. What was out there? Were the lights quite as bright? Was everything white like these walls or was it different? Laurena didn't know any of the answers to these questions but she wishes that she did.

When the scientists finally let her go back to the room the lights are being turned off. It is dark but Laurena can't sleep, just like usual. The darkness is all encompassing; it fills the room which is usually so bright. IT's odd that the scientists don't realise she doesn't need very much sleep. Laurena knows that the door to her room is locked; she had tried to open it once, when she couldn't sleep. The handle would not move despite her best efforts to twist it.

Laurena lies on her bed, staring up at where the ceiling is usually. She tries to search for patterns in the dark but she can't. Instead the five year old thinks of the man she saw today. He was an experiment and it must have worked. IT would be the same experiment that she was doing, only differently. If he made it through then surely her experiment would work. One day she would be able to walk out the front doors of the facility, see what else was outside. Maybe the other boys would succeed as well and one day they would be able to talk to one another. She would be able to find out what their rooms looked like. Were they similar to hers? Did they get a firing range? Did they climb through the events and see things?

She wonders what they would see if they were climbing around the vents. Would they have seen the experiment today or had they seen other ones? Had they ever had this feeling before, a feeling of elation and of hope? She wondered about many things, most of which she had no words to put to. For the five year old, life was an endless cycle which she hoped would someday break.

*six months later*

Laurena jumped off of the medical bench and onto the ground. Her eyes were clear and a deeper, brighter blue than usual. Her eyes were piercing in their strength. The scientist who had overseen her check up for the day was looking pleased. IT was becoming easier to see the extra strength the five year old had. The young girl was growing taller, a little earlier than usual but that wasn't anything to worry about. Laurena still had the innocence of a very young child, something which the doctor was slightly worried about.

It wasn't a good idea to keep all of the experiments from the real world for long and here this little girl was, not knowing anything other than the facility. Already Laurena was showing difficulty in her social abilities, despite her amazing physical attributes. It didn't matter how much the doctor talked to the scientists, they wouldn't sway from their view of how the whole facility should be run.

The doctor sighed as she watched the five year old, now almost six, run from the room. Her laughter echoed around the room. The doctor went back to cleaning the room and ensuring it was ready for the next child that was going to bouncing through the doorway.

Laurena passed around a corner, heading towards her quarters. From a hallway not usually used she heard loud voices. Deciding to take a detour she crept down the hallway. There was an unblocked doorway towards the end of the corridor. The five year old poked her head around the doorway, eyes peering into the room she found there.

There was a large table, on it seemed to be a kind of drawing. Around it stood a few people, including the lady who spoke funny and the experiment that worked. Laurena smiled and watched them for a few seconds. Only her eyes and the top of her head could be seen from the room.

The young girl watched as the experiment lifted his head from the table and looked in her direction. Their eyes met, holding each other's gaze for a few moments. Laurena didn't dare move, she wasn't sure what the other expierment would think of her and she couldn't risk drawing attention to herself, not here. These people weren't meant to know she existed, especially the lady.

The man dropped his gaze and turned back towards the table. LAurena crept backwards and then ran down the hallway, heading back to her quarters. Later in the evening she swung herself up into the vents and set out to search for the man.

She found herself in luck as she crept through the staff quarters. This was where the scientists slept and spent their time. It was different to wear the experiments stayed. Not everything was white, although the ceilings were. There were pictures on the walls and larger beds in each room.

The young girl lay quietly over one of the vents looking into the room below. The man she had seen earlier, the successful experiment, was sitting on the bed, looking at something in his hands. Laurena smiled before slowly moving the grate to the side and dropping into the room.

The man leapt to his feet, falling into a fighting position. Laurena mimicked it for a few seconds before giggling and straightening up. She tilted her head slightly as she looked at the man before her.

"What are you doing here?" The man asked, his voice soft.

"I live here, well not here in this room but here as in over that way," Laurena replies, waving towards where her room is.

The man looks confused for a moment before he sits down on his bed at pats the spot beside him. Laurena darts forwards and sits on the bed beside him, swinging her legs around happily.

"So you live here?"

"Yes."

The man seems to think about this for a few moments, giving Laurena a curious look. She's used to such scrutiny so she just sits happily, looking around the room.

"Why are you here then? Do your parents work here?"

"Parents? I'm here because I'm an experiment, just like you," Laurena says before she leans in close, as though whispering a secret. "I'm going to be just as strong as you one day; you're the first experiment that's worked. I'm going to be the next one."

Suddenly the young girl hears footsteps in the corridor outside the room. In response she leaps across the room and vaults into the vent, sliding the grate into place just in time. The woman from earlier opens the door and speaks to the man. He gets up from the bed and leaves his room, looking up to the vent one last time before he leaves.

Laurena crawls back to her room, getting back just in time for lights out. She lies in bed that night, dreaming of the strength and ability that she will have one day. The day when she will be able to walk out of her room and see the world outside the sterile walls of the facility.

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Thanks for reading please review. :)


	2. The Future

Here is Chapter 2. I've modified this one a bit so it's different from what it was before. I hope you enjoy it!

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Chapter 2

*70 or so years later*

The bright lights of New York City polluted the night sky. No one in the city could see the stars that shone above, including Steve Rogers as he sat on one of the assorted balconies which adorned Avenger Tower.

The blond haired Captain was sitting on the edge of the balcony, sketchpad and pencil in hand, gazing out over the massive city. His blue eyes were clouded with sadness, the memories of times gone by hanging heavily on his mind. There was so much that his new team just couldn't understand, the modern world so different from what Steve was used to.

The page in front of the Captain was blank, the pencil not yet scratching a picture onto the page. The new world was different in so many ways but in some peculiar way it was similar. There were more lights in New York now but there had been bright lights in Steve's time.

A door opens behind Steve and he turns his head. Entering through the doorway is Clint, dressed in sweats and a footy singlet. God knows where the archer manages to get such footy singlets, Steve reckons its just something he's better off not asking about.

"You coming in? We're about to watch a movie, Tony's in his lab but the rest of the team are making themselves comfortable."

"Uh, yeah I'll come and join everyone. Just give me a min and I'll be inside. Thanks for letting me know," Steve replies as he closes his sketchpad.

Clint disappears with ease, his SHIELD training becoming obvious. Steve pulls himself to his feet and wanders inside through to his bedroom. He quickly puts his drawing materials away and heads towards the living room. He settles himself down on one of the couches, next to Bruce and Thor. Jane is away at the moment and Natasha and Clint are sitting together on the other lounge.

Steve settles into the couch, turning his focus to the movie, surrounded by his new teammates but his mind plagued by the past.

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The next morning sees the team brought in for a special briefing at SHIELD headquarters on the helicarrier. Everyone is sitting around a large circular desk, the same room they had met in before the chitauri invasion. Director Fury hasn't appeared yet and no one is talking, the atmosphere in the room electric.

It's unusual for the director to be late to any of his briefings, especially ones he had deemed important. Steve was sitting, fingers drumming against the desk. Bruce was on the ground sitting comfortable on the stairs to the back of the room. Natasha and Clint were sitting next to each other, shooting one another pointed looks. Tony, as usual, hadn't turned up yet.

The genius had made it a habit to turn up late to every meeting he possibly could. Sometimes, very rarely, he had a legitimate excuse for not turning up promptly but more often than not he just lost track of time in his lab.

The electronic doors to the side of the room swished open, admitting Tony and Agent Coulson. For once the billionaire had made it to a meeting prior to the Director. The two men were talking in hushed voices to one another and so Steve quite pointedly tuned out to their conversation. If he tried he would be able to hear every word they said.

Just as Tony and Agent Coulson took a seat at the table Director Fury strolled through the door, his cape billowing around him. The eye patch was gleaming, almost as though it had just been polished.

"Alright Avengers, take a seat and direct your attention to the screen in front of you. What I'm about to show you now is classified. We'll discuss the footage after it has played through to the end."

No one spoke as a screen lowered from the ceiling and video footage began streaming. The camera presented the front of the facility that Steve had been taken to for his transformation. The cameraman continued inwards but continued down the hallway, long after where Steve had turned off into the experimentation room.

Through the twisting and turning hallways the cameraman continued, it seemed amazing that the man hadn't been disorientated yet. The camera stopped in front of a closed door, on the door in brass letters "Experiment 6" was written. The door opened and the camera journey continued. There was a door to the left, closed, that the camera didn't focus on. Instead the camera man continued forwards straight towards an archway at the end of the hall.

The old video camera turned to the side and there, inside the room stood a four year old. A little girl with dirty blond hair, starting to turn brown stood there, grasping a hand held gun in one hand.

"Laurena, want to say hello to the camera?" said a voice, most likely the cameraman's.

"Hello!" the little girl greeted excitedly before looking just over the camera to the man behind. "Look how good my aim is getting."

To demonstrate the four year old turned towards the range and shot three times, hitting the bullseye each time. The weapon in her hand didn't waver once and the Avengers seemed to let out a breath as one. Steve hadn't even been aware that he had been holding his breath.

On the screen in front of him was little Laurena, some time before he had met her. He hadn't even thought of the little girl since he had woken up but now a stream of thoughts flowed through his mind. Where was she now? Did the experiment work for her? Did she end up serving or had she been like Peggy, an administration officer?

"You're doing really well Laurena, good work. It's time to go and see the doctors now."

The little girl puts down the weapon and runs past the cameraman, disappearing out of sight. The footage ends there, the TV screen turning black. The lights that were dimmed were once again switched on to full brightness.

Each of the Avengers was sitting in shocked silence, except for Steve, caught up in his memories from the facility. Natasha surprisingly was the first one to speak from the group. Surprising only because the assassin very rarely spoke at such meetings, instead she found it easier to just observe everything that was going on.

"So why are you showing us this Fury?"

"It's an important part of a mission that you will all be undertaking. During World War Two, as many of you know, we were desperate to get the upper hand in the conflict and resorted to creating a super soldier. Before Doctor Erskine was on board with the project there were facilities set up to try and create a number of super soldiers, essentially an entire army. Most of the experiments failed and once Doctor Erskine came on board the rest of them were abandoned. Steve here was the first, and only successful experiment. However, the facilities were not appropriately shut down so we've been sending teams out to pack up the equipment and close off each facility. The work was going well until last week one of the teams ran into some issues at one of the places, coincidentally the one where Steve underwent his transformation. The team survived with minor injuries but have reported that there are people at the facility. It is now your job to clear it out, preferably with no injury to whoever is there. We'd like them to be brought back here for interrogation."

"And you suspect it's this girl," Natasha says, voice cold.

"We suspect, she was the most successful experiment after Mr Rogers and she wasn't accounted for when the facility was shut down. If anyone could have survived she would be on the top of the list."

Steve keeps his eyes trained on the table in front of him, fingers continue to drum. Could it be possible that she had survived for so long?

"Okay, it's time to move out. Your transport is waiting in Bay 4, suit up and get moving."

The team leaves the room, no one speaking. Steve is caught up in his mind until Tony bumps his arm.

"What's with the serious face?"

Steve shoots him an exasperated look, "Just thinking."

"Uh huh, sure you are. You look more like you wish you could stick your head into a pile of sand and stay there."

Steve doesn't bother with a response as they split up to get their gear. The flight is spent in silence, the drone of the engines the only noise to be heard other than the pilots radioing back and forth.

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Thanks for reading, please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey Everyone! Long time no see, so sorry for how long this is taking me. There's one more chapter to this story and it's complete. I'm already working on the possibly short sequel. I need to get my word count for Camp NaNoWriMo July. I've replaced the last two chapters so please go back and read them to catch up to where we are. I've shifted some content around etc, so you might like to read that before continuing. Hope you enjoy the chapter and thank you so much for reading this story!

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O0o0o0o0

The sun pounds down on the old cobblestones, so familiar to Steve. The buildings are old, ragged having not been rebuilt since the last time he had been here. There was no one around, this area of the town almost completely abandoned. The water is just blocks away and you would think that this area would be prime real estate however, with all the events gone by the place had fallen into abandon.

Steve takes the lead, remembering the entrance to the facility as clear as daylight. He had never forgotten this place and never would. The secrecy, the nerves as he had headed towards the unknown had created an everlasting impression.

The old bookstore is now a restaurant and the door falls off its hinges as Steve pushes it open. The smell of must assaults his nostrils as he walks straight to the back. There is no one here, the tables within the room broken and lop sided. The room is dark despite the sunlight pouring in through the cracked windows. The place reeks of abandonment, so different to what he remembers.

The layout hasn't really changed though so he walks behind the counters and out the back to the kitchen and into their storage room, which used to be the back room of the bookstore. The wall which greets him is a flimsy wood, not so different to what he remembers.

He doesn't know where the trigger for the door is, if it even still exists. It probably doesn't if they were serious about the facility being closed down. Reaching a hand up he curls his fingers around the edge of the wooden panel and yanks it off. It falls away with ease and Natasha and Clint dart through the doorway and into the dim light beyond.

Steve steps through after them, shield clasped in one hand but not held at the ready. Memories assault him but he pushes them to the side as he walks forwards. The floor is concrete and the emergency lighting glows in the roof. The hallway is narrow as he walks forwards. He can't hear anything but the sound of his team mates. The whole place has a feeling of abandonment to it.

Ahead of him Clint darts into a doorway, weapon held at the ready. Within seconds he is back outside of the room, giving the all clear signal. Natasha is doing the same on the other side of the hallway. Steve just goes past them, winding his way through the very familiar surroundings.

If they believe it's the girl then he thinks he might be able to get her to talk to him, without the others being close. He walks the hallways, heading towards that one room where he had met her for the first and only time. The door is closed, held fast with heavy steel locks. Reinforced steel and concrete makes up the door, a heavy enough material that if the occupant of the room suddenly turned they would at least take a while to get out.

The place has been abandoned for a long time and even the best materials start to lose their integrity over time. Steve puts his shoulder to the heavy door and pushes hard, muscles straining. The door slowly moves forwards, the locks having not been in place. He opens it just enough to slip inside before he looks up and down the corridor and darts inside. The blond makes sure not to close the door behind him, not wanting to lock himself inside.

Inside is black, no light to illuminate the small space. There should be a bed on the opposite side of the room so he walks over carefully as his eyes adjust. Sitting down he prepares to wait.

O0o0o0o0

Laurena sits upon her bed, staring at the walls around her. There's not much to do now that she is the only one here, the rest are all…gone. The vents are dark and there isn't anyone to watch so she doesn't really go up into them anymore, not unless she wants to leave her room. She's locked in, the door not opening despite all of her efforts. She can hear noises outside of the steel walls, footsteps as people walk up and down the street. Sometimes she counts how many people walk by but mostly she ignores them.

At the moment though she's listening to the sounds on the street, an odd thwack thwack thwack breaking the monotony of the usual footsteps. Soon after though four sets of heavy footsteps are heading towards the facility, one set much heavier than the rest. Instead of heading past the footsteps seem to turn towards the facility.

Alarmed Laurena swings up into the vents, shimmying through swiftly towards the entrance to the place. The footsteps are getting closer. The sound of wood breaking seems awfully loud in the enclosed space and she moves faster. Who are these people coming here now?

Some people had come here a few weeks ago, she had tried to talk to them but instead of responding they had lunged towards her. She had fought them off and disappeared. The people left soon after and no one had come again. After going so long without any people here the place had again become busier.

She reached the vents over the entrance just as a two people darted through, one with red hair the other with brownish hair. Watching them carefully Laurena waited to see what they would do. They were both dressed similarly to the people who had come here last week. Cautious she continued to watch them; there was no way she was going down there.

Some movement at the doorway caught Laurena's attention so she turned her eyes to the side. To her complete surprise the man, the successful experiment, walked in through the door. He didn't stop as he entered, moving down the hallway instead. Curious and happy Laurena shadowed him, crawling through the vents until he stopped in front of the room, the same one where she had talked to him. He made his way inside.

Smiling to herself she crawled over the inside vent, eyes well-adjusted to the darkness here. Removing the grate as silently as possible she swung herself inside, landing just to the side of the bed and just in front the man.

"Hello!" she says chirpily. The man in front of her smiles cautiously before replying.

"Hello."

"You know, this place is empty, why are you here? And the others, how come you are with them? Did you know they aren't very nice? I tried talking to some people, with similar clothes the other week and they tried to punch me. Uh so I kind of hit them back. They weren't very nice to me."

"I'm here to come and find you and I'm with them because they work with me. Those two are nice to me and they'll be nice to you once I introduce them."

"Hmmm I don't know if I want to meet them. They might not like me. I wasn't successful. Well, I might have been but then something happened and then I wasn't. There hasn't been anyone here in years. It's lonely, but it was lonely before too. Lots of the other experiments weren't successful but they left here. I didn't get to. So I've been here, for ages. And I'm kind of hungry. Do you have some food? Hmm anyways, are you going to stay? We could turn the lights on, I know where the switch is, I found it ages ago."

"I don't have any food with me right now but if you come with me I could get you some. You'd have to come meet my friends though. But we wouldn't be able to stay here if we were going to get you some food."

"Well, I am kind of hungry. Do you mean we will go outside the big door at the front? The one that is kind of broken now, but that one? I haven't been outside that before, or at least I don't think I have. Or maybe…once to get some food? There was food right outside the door. But I don't think there is now."

"Yes, we'll go outside that door and outside a couple of other ones too."

"Do you mean we're going outside? As in outside in the sunlight?"

"Yes."

"Ooooh let's go!"

Steve smiles before standing up, realising that he's well above the head height of the girl. He leads the way out, slipping past the doorway with ease. He remembers his way back out but if he gets lost he's sure that Laurena knows her way around.

She's fallen quiet as they walk down the hallways, footsteps echoing eerily throughout the abandoned place. The hallways stretch on for what seems like forever. Laurena walks quickly, almost skipping as she goes. Her hair flows around her face, stretching down her back. It's much longer than it used to be.

She squints each time she walks under the artificial lighting, so used to the darkness that even this small amount of light is hard to adjust to. After the first hallway though she has adjusted and is smiling contentedly.

Steve walks around the corner before Laurena, both of them aware that this is where the others are. Clint and Natasha are clearing the rooms branching off of the hallway while Tony stands around, most likely scanning the vents with his suit.

Tony is the first to notice that he's returned, and the first to notice Laurena. She's half hidden behind Steve, nervous about meeting this new and strange people. Not quite sure about them after her last run in.

"You found her already?" Tony asks incredulously. "This place is massive; I've even got the floor plans to prove it!"

"Yes, it was not that hard, I have met Laurena before." At this Steve turns to Laurena who is half behind him and gently nudges her forwards to stand behind him.

"Laurena this is Tony, Tony this is Laurena," Steve says, gesturing to Tony at the appropriate times.

Laurena looks at the man, scrutinising him until she's satisfied. "Nice to meet you, are you an experiment too?"

At this Tony laughs at the tension which had built up seems to break. "No I'm not an experiment; I just wear this suit to make me stronger so I can be like Steve here."

"Oh, that's swish." Laurena darts forwards and lays a hand on the armour, tapping it slightly. "It's steel or metal like the doors."

"Uh yeah, kind of, it's better than the doors, stronger."

"Stronger than the doors? They are very strong and heavy, I can move them but they're hard to move."

"Yeah, stronger than those doors, the armour has to be if I have to be as good a Steve on the battlefield."

Suddenly Natasha and Clint reappear, standing on the left side of Tony, closest to Laurena. Instead of moving back she stands her ground and lifts her chin-daring them to approach her.

Natasha looks Laurena and Steve over carefully before focusing on Steve. "I see you've found her. We don't have to bother clearing the rest of the facility, so long as she's the only one here."

"I'm the only one here, Experiment 8 kind of went crazy ages ago and then he was gone a couple of days later. He was the only other person left here with me. But I didn't talk to him; he was kind of weird, well really weird."

"Alright, we're good to leave then," Natasha announces.

"And I get some food?" Laurena asks, looking at Steve.

"Yes, you'll get some food as soon as we get back to our headquarters."

Away from Laurena's view Natasha raises her eyebrow at Steve. In turn Steve just gives her a stern look which brooks no argument.

The group moves towards the entranceway, Laurena beside Steve while Tony walks ahead with

Natasha and Clint walks somewhere in between.

Steve is the only one who notices the look of awe which crosses Laurena's face as she enters into the restaurant, eyes wide as she takes in things which she had never seen before. In the light Steve can see that she's now looks about sixteen but instead of looking malnourished she looks fine. Her blue eyes look around, as piercing as ever. Her hair is darker than he remembers but she's grown a lot from the small girl he first met.

Laurena waltzes forwards, hands out touching the different materials that the place is made out of. The bright light of the street blinds her as the group steps outside however she quickly overcomes it to look around at the street. There isn't anyone there but the buildings stretch up tall and then there is a huge expanse of blue. A colour she's rarely seen but loves the look of. White floats across the blue in different shapes.

Underneath her feet the ground is uneven but smooth all the same. It has a different texture to what she is used to however she likes the feel of it.

A dog comes barrelling down the street and Laurena stops walking to look at it instead. The strange sound she had heard so often and wondered about now made sense. That sound was an animal, walking along the street.

Above the street a window is pushed open, creaking loudly as it is. Laurena looks up, eyes narrowing in on the shining pane of glass.

Steve gently nudges Laurena forwards as she stops again. They need to get to their transport so that they can leave.

Laurena gives him a grin before she moves forwards, head sweeping from side to side in order to take in everything she possibly can. A smile seems to be permanently stretched over her lips as she walks forwards. Her eyes are bright and her hair waves backwards and forwards in the slight breeze, the sunlight catching golden glints in her hair.

They move forwards as a group to the aircraft which is now hovering just above the ground. Laurena stares at it with wide eyes before moving forward towards it, with some encouragement from Steve. Natasha helps her on board and buckles her into one of the seats before sitting down beside her. Steve takes a seat on Laurena's other side as they are lifted in the air, ferried towards the helicarrier.

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Thanks for reading, please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Hey Everyone, here is the last chapter of this story. I hope you all enjoy it and i'd love some feedback. Happy reading!

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Steve walks onto the helicarrier with Laurena by his side. He doesn't let her stray far as they walk towards the command deck where fury wanted to see them all. He isn't about to let her get taken away for any experimentation or anything else like it. He wants her to be able to have some semblance of normal life after everything she has been through.

Laurena isn't aware of anything that's going on in this massive ship, unaware of the undercurrent of menace which oozes from the hard steel walls which hem them in on every side. Steve doesn't particularly like this helicarrier. It reminds him to much of the facility that they just left. He doesn't like the way that everyone sees exactly the same, no one with any of their own personality. He just doesn't like the way it feels.

They reach the bridge without much ado, Fury standing in his usual position watching over the command deck. He turns towards the team as they walk into the room. His one good eye stares at each of them in turn, seeming to cut through their uniforms to see what they are thinking.

"I see you've found the girl we were looking for. Good work team. Take her to the medical bay and you are relieved from your duties," Fury says before turning back to talk with one of the technical staff.

None of them move until Steve steps forwards. At that point Natasha steps close to Laurena while Director Fury turns to look at them all in turn.

"I want to discuss the situation, sir," Steve requests, tone hard.

Fury lifts an eyebrow but doesn't say anything.

"I'm not sure what you're planning to arrange for Laurena but I believe she should be allowed to live how she wishes to. She has gone through enough," Steve says when it seems as though Fury isn't gioing to take his request to discuss things seriously.

"And what makes you think that's a good idea? For all we know she could be highly dangerous, and she most likely is after she injured our agents two weeks ago."

"You haven't given her a chance. There are two sides to the story, Laurena didn't know any better-how would you react if you saw strange people in your home after being alone for years?"

"We'll discuss this later soldier."

"No, we're discussing this now Fury."

The Director glares at Steve but he doesn't back down. Natasha shifts slightly on her feet but doesn't move while Clint just looks bored. Laurena looks between each person, seemingly unaffected by the tension which is building up in the room.

"Do I get a say in this?" Laurena speaks up, voice high but not overly childish. It's a change from earlier when she sounded just like Steve remembered her, a bubbly young girl who knew nothing of the world.

Fury glares but doesn't say anything to the negative. Most people back down under the Director's hard gaze but Laurena doesn't look fazed, just stands and meets his eyes.

"I've been locked up, inside that facility for years, I don't know how many but I know it's been a long time. I don't look the age I am and I spent the first years of my life being experimented upon in the hopes that I would become a super soldier to help our country win the war. I had not choice in the matter-I was a baby when I went to that facility. I learnt to read and to write, to shoot straight, fly aircraft and ignore physical pain. I haven't had a life which would allow me to live what you would deem a "normal life". I've been conditioned so that I could fight, in the military or otherwise. My suggestion, whether you listen to it or not, is to allow me to join the military."

Fury continues to glare while Natasha and Clint consider what Laurena has said. Steve is somewhat stunned. He knew that Laurena had been another experiment to create a super soldier but he hadn't understood quite the lengths which the military had gone to in order to accomplish that task.

No one moves until Natasha speaks up, "How about you come with me for the moment Laurena and we'll go grab something to eat while these guys sort things out?"

Laurena shoots a glance towards Steve and the Director before nodding acquiescence and leaving with Natasha.

The food hall is big and the food she is served is different to anything she's eaten before but it doesn't particularly matter. It's food and that's good enough for Laurena. She eats with a kind of passion that Natasha hasn't seen before. Most of the agents here do long missions but are usually fed quite well. Then again, none of the agents here have ever gone without food for more than a few weeks. Laurena though…Natasha doesn't know when the last time this girl ate was.

Natasha sits in silence as she watches the girl next to her eat. Natasha has an apple of her own but she isn't that hungry having only eaten a few hours ago. Laurena is quiet while she eats most of her food but as she slows down a bit she has time to talk.

"It hurts a bit sometimes, or a lot of the time. I haven't shot anything in a while, they took the weapons when the facility got cleared out. Can I practice shooting while I'm here? Did we win the war? What year is it now?" After asking her questions Laurena lapses back into silence, shovelling food into her mouth.

Natasha ignore the first bit of Laurena's rant for now, not quite sure how to deal with that but places it in the back of her mind to mull over later. "Depending on how long you stay here you might be able to practice on the range, it depends on Director Fury. We won the Second World War and the year is 2020."

Laurena thinks that over for a few moments before looking over at Natasha curiously. "2020, are you sure?"

"Yes."

"But that means I'm eighty something. I don't look eighty something and neither does Steve."

"It's an effect of the serums that were used on you both."

Laurena finishes up eating at the two females make their way back to the bridge to find out what decisions have been made regarding Laurena's future.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Director Fury and Steve stare each other down as Laurena and Natasha leave together, clint slipping out soon after. The two walk in silence to the same briefing room they had been in that morning. The door is sealed shut behind the two of them before the argument begins.

"She's a risk to public safety, she can't be let off the helicarrier. If she's here then no one can be harmed. We don't know anything about her so we can't let her go."

"You haven't given her a chance and she's been through enough in her life. She needs the chance to be at least somewhat normal otherwise she will never fit in. She isn't dangerous, I can vouch for it. I met her after the experiment on me, after I was turned into this," Steve gestures to himself, to his abnormally strong body.

"We can't be sure, no matter what you say."

"She deserves the chance, any harm that happens to anyone can be blamed on me. She wouldn't have been abandoned in that facility if I hadn't been successful. She would have been the one that won the war for our country. Give her this chance."

Fury sighs, it's a sigh which says that he hates what he's about to do. He glares at Steve even as he announces that yes, he'll give Laurena this chance although not until after they've done some testing on her.

Steve takes that as a win, he'd prefer if there was no testing involved-he knows how much he hates needles and figures Laurena must have a similar sort of hate relationship with the pointy things. The two men leave the room and head back to the bridge, settled on their course of action.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o

The following days are filled with different medical testing for Laurena. Steve stays on board the helicarrier-although he usually lives at the Avenger mansion now. Natasha and Clint disappear off on some other mission so he's left alone to make sure that Fury makes good on their earlier decision.

He was right about Laurena not liking needles just as much as him. She screws up her face at having to go into the medical bay and glares horrifyingly at the doctors when they come to take her blood. She sits still enough on the bed but the disdain she has for the place is glaringly obvious.

The results come back and there's nothing overly unusual with Laurena, her blood seems similar to Steve's. However, the medics decide that even though she's definitely a lot stronger than a human she hasn't quite gotten to the same point as Steve. They mutter about serums and things but Laurena doesn't seem to mind.

The next day she's taken to the training room to spar against some of the agents. She's asked to twist and turn, to wrestle, kick and punch. She does it all, barely breaking a sweat when she takes two agents to the ground. Fury watches on occasionally, his expressionless face not giving anything away, although Steve reckons that Laurena is doing well.

She's strong, lifting what Steve reckons to be her whole weight without much build up whatsoever. She remains cheery throughout the testing although doesn't seem to relate to many of the agents at all. If the agents which she injured recognise her they don't indicate it when they see her in the cafeteria.

Steve is happy spending time with Laurena. She chatters a lot, so similar to what he remembers but over the course of mere hours she seems to mature. The more she sees and experiences the quicker she seems to grow up. She's older than everyone on the helicarrier, barring him and yet in some ways she seems so much more innocent than even the most junior agents. However, no matter how innocent she seems in some regards in others Laurena seems to have years upon years of experience.

When the medics try to talk bullshit at Laurena she sees right throughs it and gets them to tell her the truth. They try to keep the fact that she should be in immense pain, all the time a secret. Of course it doesn't work and she just gives the two men looks that say they're idiots.

"You think I didn't know that I'm in pain all the time? Who's body do you think it is anyway?" is all she says, but it says it all. It shows that she's grown up accustomed to pain resonating through her body, that she's used to people lying to her face and trying to lie to her about her own wellbeing.

At the end of the few days Laurena and Steve return to the briefing room where Fury is waiting impatiently. As soon as they walk in he gestures for them to sit down, which both of them do.

"We've decided that Laurena is not currently a threat to the public however if anything, and I mean ANYTHING, happens which indicates anything to the contrary Laurena will be coming straight back to the helicarrier. So, for the moment I've decided that she will be placed within the military on probation. Any questions?"

Laurena just smiles before saying "When do I leave?"

"Within the hour. Make sure that you perform to the normal human ability and no further than that."

Laurena nods before accepting some paperwork from Fury. The Director leaves the room at that, leaving Steve and Laurena alone.

"Thanks for all the help the last few days, it was nice to have someone around who I recognised," Laurena says, as the two face each other next to the table.

"Well, if you need any other help let me know. I know what it's like to have to suddenly adjust a society that's moved on without you. I, uh, didn't see the end of the war as I was frozen in the arctic. I only woke up again a couple of years ago. So, if you need any more help let me know."

"Thanks, I will."

An agent turns up, entering the room and asking for Laurena to follow her. Laurena gives Steve a wave and a smile before turning and leaving. She makes her way through the helicarrier with the agent before boarding a jet which will take her to the Army training base where she will be training and living for the foreseeable future.

Steve also leaves the helicarrier, heading back to Avenger mansion to continue settling into this world, feeling less alone now that he knows there's another person who has to face the same challenges as him. He has team mates now, he knows what happened to the young girl trapped within the facility where his new life began. He'll see Laurena again; undoubtedly, there's no question in his mind. They're too similar to never meet again. So Steve returns to Avenger Mansion, content and settled in his modern life.

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That's the end! Wow, my first multi chapter fic which is actually finished! I hope you all enjoyed it, please let me know what you think. Looking for a beta if anyone would like to take on this story. :)


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